Festival 2014

This year Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival was developed around the motto “Dare to Repeat”! Supported yet again by the European Fund for the Balkans, the 5th Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival was held in Sarajevo on 28-30 November 2014, at the art space Kriterion to fill 3 days with short films of great quality, artistic and music events as well as with other interactive activities.

The Competition Part consisted of 40 films that have been selected out of 160 from 32 countries. As part of the Special Programme, BBB shedding light in a different country every year, dedicated the BBB Focus 2014 in Japan and this year the special program was organized in collaboration with Nippon Connection – Japanese Film Festival. As parallel event, BBB promoting emerging artists, presented three video works from the Greek-Albanian artist, Alma Bakiaj, which were on display at the premises of Kriterion.

AWARDS

BEST FILM 2014Springtime Suns, Stefan Ivancic, Serbia, Fiction, 23 min
Four boys, friends and cousins, in between adolescence and adulthood, make the most of a summer evening. Divided by distance but reunited by Belgrade, they rememorate the Communist past of their country.AUDIENCE PRIZE 2014Toy Car, Muamer Celik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Drama
An immigrant family stands in its own way of fulfilling the dream of a happy life in a new country.SPECIAL MENTIONSThe Aegean or the anus of death, Eleni Gioti, Greece, Documentary
A mysterious man appears at locations in Athens where racist attacks have taken place. Why is he giving life jacket instructions? Who is he trying to save from the anus of death? Since 2000 more than 23.000 people from Africa, the Middle East and beyond –war refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants– have lost their lives while trying to cross the borders to Europe. Hundreds of them have drowned in the Aegean Sea JazraKhaleed’s poetry assault is set at five locations in Athens where racist attacks have been reported during the last three years.Refika, ÖzgeDeniz ÖZKER, Turkey, Documentary
“Don’t write down my memories, they’ll think it’s history…” A.Telli
The documentary film “Refika” is a journey on both sides of the North Aegean in search of a woman called “Refika” whose photograph I come across in Adatepe, anold Greek village in Turkey. Who is the woman in the photograph? Who writes history?The Invisibles, Ishak Jalimam, Monika Šimunac, Nita Zeqiri, Petar Antevski, FYR Macedonia, Documentary, 7min
Engaged and happily in love, these two girls bravely tell the story of their mutual life as a lesbian couple in Kosovo.

The Jury consisted of Leone Contini Bonacossi (Italy), Bojan Mucko(Croatia) and Tanja Smalcelj(Bosnia and Herzegovina). This year’s prizes were designed by Marietta Lyriotaki and produced by the Solid 3D Printing and scanning company. Moreover, the “Best Film” Prize was awarded with 500€ and the “Audience Prize” with 100€ and a lomo camera, by the Lomography.gr.